The World Around Me
by AreWeGonnaHaveAProblem
Summary: A series of one-shots which take place in the universe of my "What If?" series. They are told from a variety of character's points-of-view. *Varying ratings* *Zelink* *Title still in the works*
1. It's Time

**AN:**

 **So, this story is going to be a bunch of one-shots that take place in the universe of my** **What If?** **series. They are going to have varying ratings, if it's an "M" I will give you a warning first. They will take place at different points during the series and told from a variety of people's pov, I will also inform you of that each chapter. I am not Nintendo, so, yeah.**

 **I have some one-shots already planned, but if there is something that you want to see, please tell me. I will see what I can do.**

 **When: A few months after** ** _Fourteen Dances_**

 **Who: Zelda**

 _It has been three months since the Calamity was destroyed. Three months minus two weeks since my appointed knight became a marquess. Three months since my entire life changed._

 _The most glaring difference once things somewhat got back to normal was the fact that I had nothing to do. Since I no longer had to pray, there was no use in my research, and I no longer had an appointed knight to go on adventures with, I was completely and utterly bored. That is, until father realized that I have no training to become the Queen of Hyrule. My entire life up until this point was supposed to be dedicated to prayer, any time spent on politics was taking time away from soaking in springs._

 _So, it has been two months since my crash course in politics began. I attend every biweekly council meeting. I memorize every one of our allies, all of their leaders, the map of the world. Even if I had time to continue to conduct research I couldn't, there's no room left in my head. Impa and I have spent every day pouring over rules and regulations. I could tell you every law regarding trade in the book._

 _But I have no clue how to apply any of it._

 _The problem with the lessons is, they teach me how things are supposed to work, but not really how to make them work. I'm sure that eventually, after years of lessons, they may start explaining that to me, but I don't know. I fear that may be one thing that just comes with experience. But my true fear is how I am going to receive said experience._

 _I'm going to rule an entire country, yet my naiveté could be its downfall. I almost destroyed this land once with my inability to do something, I can't do it again._

I blow gently on the ink, attempting to dry it so that I may close my diary. I haven't had time to write in so long, that an overview of the past few months seemed necessary. "Princess?"

"Come in!" I call from my desk.

"Would you like to go review the guards with me?" Impa's face appears from behind the door.

"No lesson?"

"You deserve a break. Besides, you need to know some things about military."

"But it's just the guards, not the army." I stand and stretch. I was sitting for a while.

"The army doesn't train here, besides, I figured you would prefer to watch the leader of the Royal Guards than General Dalt." My cheeks heat up, and she laughs at me. When Link was placed in charge of the guards, he decided that he was going to train them himself. Though it was not required of him, he insisted that he felt it would be best. Everyone agreed since Lord Link is known as the best swordsman in all of Hyrule, but I know that in the end, Link was just as bored as I was.

"Why are we actually doing this?" I ask as we approach the walkway which overlooks the training fields.

"The guards need to see you taking an active role. They need to know that they'll have your support should anything happen."

"And?"

"And since Urbosa cannot be here all the time, she has tasked me with getting you and the marquess together."

"I knew it." Urbosa has had to return to Gerudo Town. She neglected it enough leading up to and directly after the Calamity. Of course, she would pass on her mission to someone at the castle.

"Your highness." I turn and see everyone in the field below kneeling, my former knight in the center.

"Rise, I did not mean to interrupt." I call.

"Yes, your highness." I do wish he would stop calling me that. He turns back to the guards-in-training and starts telling them something that I cannot understand.

"He's done well with them." Impa admits. "I've never seen the guards so alert."

"He knows what he's doing." I sigh, leaning on the stone railing. It's fascinating to watch him work. It's almost like a dance the way he stabs and swings. You almost forget that if there was a person in front of him, they would be ripped to pieces.

-oOo-

"I will admit, hero. I am impressed." Impa informs the man after their training ends. We came down here for some reason. I honestly wasn't paying attention. "Don't you agree, Zelda?"

"Yes."

"I actually need to speak with you about something." What? He hasn't spoken to me an almost a month. Though we've only seen each other twice, both at council meetings, which I was whisked away from as soon as they were over for more lessons.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, but I just need to discuss something with you." His eyes dart to Impa and then back at me. "Is now a good time?" I look to Impa, she nods.

"I believe so."

"Then let's get out of the sun." He motions in the direction of his office.

"Leave the door open." Impa says before turning to leave. I guess they discussed this ahead of time. Link leads me to his office. It's a large room with a desk, chairs, a table, and a few cabinets. He does as Impa says, leaving the door behind him half open. Technically I shouldn't even be alone with him.

"What's going on?" I ask, taking a seat by the table.

"I have made a decision and want your approval." He sits opposite me.

"My approval?"

"I have decided to return the Master Sword. Ganon is gone, there is no point in me keeping it any longer except for selfish reasons. I want to know what you think about this." He pours us each a glass of water.

"It is your decision. If you feel that now is the time for it to be returned, I will support you. The sword has a connection to you, if you believe that it is time for it to return to its slumber, then it is."

"Will you come with me?"

"Where are you going to place it?" It's had many different resting places over the years. The Temple of Time being one of the most prominent.

"In the Korok forest. So, the Great Deku tree can watch over it."

"When do you want to go?" I'll have to clear my schedule.

"Is Saturday fine for you?"

"I can make it be." I take another sip of water. We sit in silence for a while, just looking at each other. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too." His voice is small.

"How is your family?"

"They're still getting used to the estate. It's just so big, and there's normally only going to be three of them. They don't really know what to do with themselves. Having servants do everything for them is also new."

"Are they going to farm?"

"Yes, they are. They've actually already started. Preparing the ground is a lot of work. They've hired people from the town that's close by. They pay them in rupees and feed them their meals. Once the crops begin growing, they'll give them a share."

"Why can't all nobles be like your family?" Most barely pay their workers, let alone anything like Link described.

"Because nobles don't know what it's like to be without."

"When was the last time you went there?"

"Not long, just a week."

"It's not too far from the forest, perhaps we could go by and visit."

"You really want to get out of this castle."

"It's been so long. I have constantly had these lessons, I'm not sure the last time I was outside for an extended length of time."

"We could make it a few days, I'm sure your father would understand you wanting to be there when I return the sword." He offers.

"How would we explain the other days?" My eyebrows raise.

"I want to see my family, but can't send you back to the castle alone." He's thought this through.

"You've already talked to everyone, haven't you?"

"Yes."

"You're lucky I didn't demand that you keep the sword."

"Why would you?" He's right. Why would I demand he keep it?

"Well, how many days?"

"I got permission for five days, four nights."

"Are we going to have an escort?"

"No, it seems your father still trusts me enough to let us go off on our own."

"I better go pack, then." I begin to rise from my seat.

"Yes, um…"

"Is there something else?"

"No, just. I'll see you in a couple days. Meet me at the stable around eight?"

"I'll be there."


	2. It Has Been an Honor

**AN:**

 **Not Nintendo.**

 **When: at the end of the trip from the last chapter**

 **Who: Zelda**

Tomorrow we return to the castle.

But today, today, we return the Master Sword.

When I walked out of my room in the prayer dress, Link just nodded. He's wearing his champion's tunic. We act like we're going to a funeral.

I take his arm and stare at my feet as we walk. This is going to change things. I know that it's time for the sword to return, but…but it means we lose a connection. The sealing princess and the hero who wields the sword which seals away the darkness.

I almost want to stop him. It's selfish and childish, nothing about our relationship is going to change. The only thing that will change is the blade he carries. I feel like, once he returns the sword, everything will change. We'll lose yet another thing from before. It's bad enough that we've lost time together, but now-

There's no point in him keeping it. If the sword says it's time, then it's time. I take a deep breath and repeat that phrase in my head. _It's time_.

-oOo-

The ride to the forest is uneventful. But now there is the matter of getting to the Great Deku tree. Link grabs the torch next to the lamp and lights it. He takes my hand and leads me through the twisting and winding path. We somehow manage to not get lost. Perhaps the koroks know why we're coming. "I have been alive longer than any other thing. I have seen many heroes defeat Ganon. I have seen the world crumble and rise. But it always ends like this. You have arrived here to return the Master Sword, have you not?"

"We have." The first words he has spoken today.

"I thank you for entrusting it with me. I promise to protect it."

"We thank you." I reply. The forest children all gather, lining a path for us to where the blade shall rest. We walk in silence, the torch thrown away, but he holds tight to my hand. I pause at the edge of the platform, content to watch from there. But he tugs me forwards.

"I need you here." He murmurs. I nod and he leads me to one side of the case, my back to the Deku tree. He stands on the other side and releases my hand. His breath quickens and he swallows before pulling the sword out of the scabbard on his back. It glows the brilliant blue that I have only seen it glow when he fought Ganon. His hands don't tremble as he raises it high above his head before rotating it and placing it above the opening. "Help me."

I nod and place my hands on top of his on the hilt. A weak voice calls out from within the blade. "Master." What? What was- Wait, the voice inside the sword! "Master. It has been an honor."

"Was that?" I ask. I feel his hands shake beneath mine. I probably shouldn't talk. He takes another deep breath and begins lowering the sword. His eyes shut once the blade begins to shift into the ground. I try to hold him steady. We lower the blade bit by bit and eventually, it stops glowing. The blade is at rest.

We stand in silence, our hands resting on the hilt of the sword. My mind is blank. I feel raw. I don't know what it was. Some part of me recognized the voice. Some distant memory which is not my own. Well it is, but not this me. A past me. Something much stronger must be affecting him.

I release the hilt and tentatively touch his forearms. He sucks in a breath at my touch, but does not pull away. I slowly walk around the sword and hug him. He latches onto me, his face buried in the nape of my neck. Had it been different circumstances, I would have enjoyed this.

But it's not, he's just lost a part of himself and he needs me to hold the rest of him together. He doesn't cry, he just stands there. His arms are wrapped tightly around my waist, and I rub his back.

"Her name is Fi."


	3. The Tournaments

**AN:**

 **Not Nintendo. Um, the breaks between years are the normal "-oOo-", but the breaks between parts of the same year are just "oOo".**

 **When: The six tournaments**

 **Who: Link**

I can't believe it! I won! I won the competition! My first time entering, and I won! My blade is pointed at the Gerudo leader's throat, and my breath is heavy. "I concede!" I drop my blade to my side and offer her my hand.

"Congratulations, Sir Link." The King booms. "You have won the tournament of swordplay."

"You were incredible." The large woman states. "So young, yet so much talent. I've never seen anything like it."

"Thank you, Lady Urbosa." I smile.

"Come on, we need to get clean." She presses her hand between my shoulder blades and pushes me towards the barracks.

oOo

I never thought I would be this close to the princess. She stands in front of me, holding my trophy in her hands. She's a year younger than me, but already demands the respect of a queen with her posture alone. She's also uncommonly pretty. I would be insane to not admit that.

"Sir Link. We present you with the golden scabbard; for it's dangerous to go alone take this." The princess places the prize in my hand. It's a lot heavier than it looks.

"Thank you." I murmur.

Then, suddenly, she's kissing me. Her lips are gone as quickly as they arrived, and her cheeks are tinted pink. I was not prepared for that. She had kissed General Dalt on the forehead, that's what I was expecting, not that. The king gives a closing speech, but I don't pay much attention. A Sheikah woman makes us all stand and smile at her, before she declares herself done. What? What was that rectangular object she had in her hand?

"Congratulations!" Mother hugs me tightly once we're away from the crowd of people. "I am so proud of you!"

"Thank you." Alisse hangs tightly to my leg and I pick her up.

"You did very well, son. I am truly amazed. No one has ever defeated Lady Urbosa, at least not that I know of." Father places his hand on my shoulder.

"I am very happy for you." Mipha smiles.

"Thanks."

"Allard!" I know that voice. The king approaches us, and I bow. I can't really kneel while holding my sister. "Congratulations, Sir Link."

"Thank you, your majesty." I don't stop bowing.

"Oh, rise, you did incredibly well. But I should not have expected any less from Sir Allard's son." Father used to be one of the king's closest knights, until he retired to be with us. "And Sarah, how are you?"

"I am very well, your majesty." Mother used to be a maid for the queen, they were also rather close.

"Someone so young, with so much skill. It truly is incredible." The leader of my country looks at me like he's debating something. "Truly incredible."

-oOo-

I won again this year. It was rather easy, other than Urbosa. It was decided that I needed to compete, and everyone was certain of my ability to win. I need to show the people that the hero is the strongest person in all of Hyrule.

The princess is not allowed to watch the fights, though she does hand out the prizes. She spent all week in prayer. I've learned a lot of things since last year. I understand why a lot of things happen the way they do. I know what that rectangle Purah pointed at us last year was.

Now I'm waiting to receive my prize. "Sir Link. We present you with the golden scabbard; for it's dangerous to go alone take this." I start to move to tap on my cheek, so she doesn't have to kiss me, but it's too late. She's already pressed her mouth to mine, and the world around me seems to freeze. Time slows and for a few glorious seconds, it's just me and the princess. But, she pulls away.

I offer her a small smile. _I'm sorry._ I'm sorry that I enjoyed that. I'm sorry that every year you have to go down a line of people and kiss them. I'm sorry that the only reason you will kiss me again is next year's tournament.

-oOo-

Three years in a row. The princess hands me the scabbard and lightly touches my jaw as she kisses me. Like last year, it feels like it lasts much longer than it actually does. My breath is taken away from me by her, every time I see her. I decided to not request another place this year. I thought about her kiss too much to allow myself to. She pulls away from me, and I slowly open my eyes to look at her. She gets more and more beautiful every time I do.

-oOo-

There is no reason for me to do these anymore.

The first time, well it was my first time. I wanted to prove myself as a knight, that I could win some fights. I didn't expect to win.

The second time I had to show everyone that their hero was strong. I had to make them trust me, prove to them that I was worthy.

The third time I did it to show that I was still strong. I had to show my men that I was capable and the country that I had not weakened.

This year I competed solely to get a kiss from the princess. It's probably wrong. I don't really care. She gently presses her lips to mine and our eyes slide shut. Her hand ghosts over my cheek and I am glad that I am kneeling. My legs feel slightly weak. Her lips are like fire against mine, I feel warmth emanating from where we touch.

Then the warmth is gone.

-oOo-

I can't. I can't keep doing this solely to kiss the princess. It is wrong. I should just go ahead and ask to court her. I should admit my feelings for her in some way. I have the ability, I'm nobility now, there's no law against it. But that is such a risk. If she doesn't like me in that way in return, if my feelings are unrequited, I would lose another friend thanks to love. I can't do that. No, this is fine. These simple kisses are more than I could ever ask for.

She's lingering longer this year. I think. It's probably just a figment of my imagination. She probably doesn't. Her lips are warm and soft. She smells sweet. I could die right now and be perfectly happy.

-oOo-

The cold trophy is pressed into my hand, and two warm hands cup my jaw. Zelda gently kisses me and I raise my right hand to touch her cheek. Someone behind us goes, "awe." I know her ring lies just beneath her bodice, hanging on a chain. I so wish I could feel the cool metal against my face, on her finger.

No matter how much I kiss her, it's never enough. She pulls away slowly, but I steal another peck before she stands up straight. Finally, finally I get to kiss her whenever I want. That doesn't mean I don't relish this one. With my touching her, I sent a message, _"She's mine."_ You aren't supposed to touch her, it's disrespectful. But, I can. We are engaged, after all…


	4. Pasta Noodles

**AN:**

 **Not Nintendo.**

 **When: The night of the wedding**

 **Who: Servant Girl**

Since the princess was married today, the king has allotted the entire staff a budget to throw our own celebration. People brought their instruments and a make-shift band is playing. There's food and dancing and more fun than I've had in a long time. But something must always break our bliss.

The bell for the newlywed's suite rings in the kitchen. "The Princess and her husband have rang!" The cook announces to the crowd.

Every single person present groans. No one wants to go up there. Who knows what state they'll be in. The princess's handmaidens have already left her for the night, so they're together right now.

Please don't make me do this!

"I have a proposition." Hannah, the princess's head maid, announces. "Until the Honeymoon is over, we will draw straws for who has to go up there. Once you've gone, you don't have to go again unless we run out of people. Valets and handmaidens are not included in this since we have to go up there to help them dress. Does this seem fair to everyone?" Almost everyone agrees.

Hannah ends up gathering some dry pasta noodles and breaking them a variety of lengths. Those of us who actually work in the castle line up and she walks down the line, each of us taking a straw. "Shortest straw goes first."

I take a noodle from her hand. Oh no. I'm in the middle of the line, and once it is over, we start comparing straw lengths. I "won".

"Sorry." Hannah stretches her mouth out and cringes. Everyone pats me on the back as I slowly walk towards what is inevitably my doom.

I drag my feet, but eventually make it to the suite. I knock on the door and his royal highness answers the door. My breath leaves my body. We all know that he's attractive. Everywhere he goes, girls giggle and gawk. "You rang?" My voice squeaks.

"Um…we wanted to see about getting some food. We didn't really get to eat much at the reception."

"Okay, do you know what you want?"

"Could we have some fruit plate and tea. Oh, and do you think that you could get some of the cake?"

"I'll see if I can." He thanks me by name and closes the door. He knows my name?

I run to the kitchen, where a few of the other maids are waiting for me. "Your face is red."

"They asked for some sort of fruit platter, tea, and some of their cake." I ignore them.

"Maybe they should try something other than tea." Hannah suggests.

"Like what?" I ask. She walks over to the wine cellar.

"This." She holds up a bottle of champagne. "I know the princess, she's going to need this."

"I made some extra cake." Billy, the cook, informs me. "The recipe made too much batter."

"Will someone help me?" It's a lot to carry.

"I'll go, if you tell me why your face was so red." Savannah says.

"If you come, you'll see."

"Fine. I'll be out of the drawing now, right?" She turns to Hannah.

"Sure." Hannah makes a mark on some paper. "Roster, keeping check."

We get all of the food and utensils, and we make our way to the suite. I'm holding the fruit and the bottle while Savannah carries the cake and champagne flutes. I place the bottle on the floor and knock on the door. I've picked it up before he answers the door. Savannah now understands. "Thank you. Um… Zelda!"

"Yes?"

"Here." He takes the cake from Savannah and hands it to her. We can't see the princess, she's hidden behind the wall. They take all of the food. "Thank you, Karia, Savannah."

"Yes, thank you!" The princess calls from wherever she's hidden.

"Goodnight." His royal highness smiles at us.

"Goodnight." Savannah and I bow slightly. The door closes, and we look at each other.

"Do you understand now?" I ask. She pulls me down the hall, so the couple can't hear us.

"Are we sure we want out of that drawing?"

"It's just the first night, and they haven't had time to…"

"So! He could answer the door with no shirt." She drags me along back to the kitchen.

"You know the princess wouldn't allow that." I remind her. "It's a miracle she didn't make him tie his robe and button his collar."

"She probably enjoys them being open more than we do."

By the end of the night, I was asked twenty times about how the newest member of the royal family looked, plus ten more times about whether or not I saw the princess. Pretty soon, people were hoping the get the shortest pasta noodle.


	5. The Boy

**AN:**

 **Not Nintendo.**

 **Arcmelos: Thanks!**

 **When: Before**

 **Who: Zelda**

I don't believe it. I can't. This can't be happening. Why? Why must this happen? If this is happening, we're all doomed.

"Zelda? Zelda!"

"Sorry father."

"We're going to the forest tomorrow. I expect you to be ready at sunrise. You are dismissed."

"Yes father." I stand and exit.

It can't. I cannot.

My brain has ceased functioning.

That boy from the tournament! He was a child! How is he supposed to save us? He's going to save us. He has to save us.

My legs carry me to my room, my mind has no say in the matter. It is otherwise occupied with panic.

Wait…

Maybe, maybe this could work.

Maybe, once he pulls the sword, my powers will awaken.

The blood of Hylia may be so thin at this point that it requires the sword to work.

This could be it!

Maybe, we can do this.

-oOo-

Everyone meets outside of the forest: the boy, his family, the champions, father, me…

He's still just a boy. He's sixteen. He's close to adulthood, but that doesn't mean he's grown. He doesn't deserve this. I don't deserve this. None of us deserve this. Father takes the lead through the Lost Woods.

The triangles on my hand glow brilliantly, as does his. Being in such close proximity must affect them.

Fog rolls around us until we reach our destination. That sword stands at attention in the middle of a large triangle. "Your majesty." The Great Deku Tree speaks.

"We believe we have found the hero of our age. He bears the Triforce of Courage and has proven himself an incredible swordsmen." Father continues to walk towards the tree.

"What is your name?" The Great Tree asks.

"Link, sir."

"Link. You probably could have figured out his role from his name alone." Every single hero has been named Link. "Link, I must warn you. If you wish to pull the Master Sword, you must be strong enough. If you are not strong enough the blade may very well kill you. I will try to stop you if I can, but I may not be able to. If you truly bear the Triforce of Courage, then I believe you should be more than worthy. By taking this sword you swear to protect Hyrule with your life and defeat Ganon, should he rise. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then you may proceed when you are ready." He walks towards the sword and touches the handle. Out of the corner of my eye I see his mother cover his young sister's eyes. I wish they would all look away, if he fails we are all going to be standing here, watching him die. I wish I could look away.

He grasps onto the hilt of the blade and begins pulling it upwards. He grunts in pain, and his face turns red. His mother cries out, but the boy doesn't release it. He keeps pulling. Inch by inch the blade reveals itself.

He's actually going to do it.

I don't believe it.

The blade begins to taper in. This is it.

The Master Sword has a new wielder. The boy raises the blade into the sky and it flashes a light. Father and the Champions turn to me expectantly.

Nothing.

Nothing!

I feel nothing!

I can't.

I can't feel nothing, I have to feel something. I have to awaken this stupid power. The Calamity is coming. The sword has been drawn. I have to play my part, I have to do this. I can't.

I can't do it.

My eyes squeeze shut, and I shake my head.

"Nothing."

-oOo-

"What do you think of the boy?" Impa looks up from the book she's studying.

"I don't know. He hasn't said a word to me."

"He's intimidated." She turns back to the book. "He's barely a knight, and you're the princess."

"Wait, he has said two words to me." I correct.

"Which are?"

"He said, 'Thank you' when I gave him the golden scabbard at the tournament." I blow on the piece of guardian I'm tinkering with, ridding it of some dust.

"As far as I can tell he's very soft-spoken. I've asked his teachers about him. They all claim he's an excellent student, they've never found someone who learns so quickly. He became a knight at only sixteen, which is basically unheard of." Most knights are at least eighteen.

"Yes, I know very well of his skills." My annoyance seeps into my voice. "Everyone has reminded me of them."

"Zelda…"

"I'm fine, if you're worried. I'll get this stupid power to work eventually. I'm not jealous of him." Lie.

"You should try to be amiable to him. He's been thrown into this. You were at least given some time to prepare."

"Why are you doing this?" She normally wouldn't be so determined for me to befriend someone. Even in circumstances where friendship would be very useful.

"You'll be upset if I tell you."

"Tell me anyways."

"If you both are successful in defeating Ganon, it is expected that you will wed." What? Wed? Him? That boy who…I take a deep breath.

"Wed?"

"It is tradition. The princess and the hero marry after defeating Ganon." She places her book to the side. "It has happened every time."

"I'm his prize!"

"No, you are his partner. You have to work together to defeat Ganon."

"I'm his reward. For defeating Ganon he gets to marry the princess. All I get is country boy who needs a haircut!"

"Zelda…"

"No, no. Why should I have expected any different? Of course, my marriage was going to be decided for me. Of course, it was going to have something to do with this cursed prophecy. My life has never been my choice, and it never will be. Does everything exist solely to punish me for not being able to wield this power?"

"Zelda, this has nothing to do with-"

"Well why not? Everything else does. My life is dedicated to prayer. My free time is dedicated to my fail-safe incase the power doesn't work. I have not had a conversation with my father since I was a child which was not in regards to this. My life is this power I do not possess." I storm out of the library. I need to cool my head and listening to Impa reason with me is not going to do it.

I don't walk to my room. If I go there, someone will find me and reprimand me for not praying. I don't really pay attention to where I'm going. My legs just move as I get angrier and angrier.

I hate my legs.

They've brought us to where the knights are training. The bridge which overlooks them. I try to turn back, to leave this awful place when I see a purple scabbard. He's here.

 _He_ stands in the middle of the field, sword and shield ready. Four men rush at him and he beats them back without breaking a sweat. His commander stands to the side, barking orders at everyone.

I've never seen him fight before.

He ducks and dodges and lands each blow with his practice sword. If he were to use the actual blade, these people would be ripped to shreds. "Your highness." I've been spotted.

Everyone kneels in respect to me. "Rise, I am just passing by."

I leave after that. I can't sit there and watch him.

He's perfect.

He's perfect and I'm not.

He's a natural.

I've been training my whole life and have nothing to show for it.

It isn't fair.

And, on top of everything else, I have to marry him.

I have to marry this boy who was basically handed his destiny and the skills needed for it on a silver platter.

I'll be lucky to receive mine at all.


	6. I like the green

**AN:**

 **I am not Nintendo. Guest who requested a sequel involving pregnancy, here you go.**

 **: Thank you!**

 **When: Around a year after the wedding.**

 **Who: Zelda.**

"Your highness, do you have any news to give the council?" Lady Mariah probes.

"No, I do not." They all look down at the table in disappointment. "One of you asks every meeting, when there is news to be shared, I will."

"Perhaps you should seek out a doctor, make sure that neither of you are infertile." Someone suggests.

"That was done before the wedding, they are both in good health and perfectly capable of having children." Father replies.

"It's been almost a year, yet there is still not an heir nor any signs of one." Duke Narkell for some reason feels the need to remind us.

"When it is time, it will happen." I glare at him. "Perhaps the goddesses do not believe that it is the right time."

"Or perhaps there is something that you are not sharing with us."

"There is no law which forces me to share everything about myself with the council. There are many things that I am not sharing. I am aware of what you are insinuating, sir, and let me inform you that I would very much like to have a child." Not a lie.

-oOo-

"This is my last bottle."

"Are you going to get more?"

"Do you want me to?"

"It's up to you, you're the one who's going to be dealing with the hard part of pregnancy."

"We need to have a child, soon. The council is getting antsy."

"Are you ready for that?"

"Is anyone ever truly ready for anything?" I turn to my husband, who sits on the edge of our bed. "I meant what I said at the meeting. I would like to have a child."

"Now?"

"No other time is real. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is a guess."

"Is that a yes?"

"Do you want to have a child now?"

"Perhaps not right now, but we'll have nine months to prepare."

"Plus however long it takes for us to conceive."

"It could be another year before we have a child."

"If we want to have a baby within a year, we have to start now." I look at the bottle in my hand. "Have we made our decision?"

"I think we have." I place the bottle back in the box.

"We're having a baby."

-oOo-

I wake up at three a.m. to a splitting migraine and hot flashes. I kick the blankets off of me. Now I'm cold. I grab the blankets. Hot. Cold. Hot. Cold. Hot. "Zelda?"

"Sorry, I'm just…uncomfortable."

"What's wrong? Are you sick?" He sits up, still half-asleep.

"Maybe." He presses the back of his hand to my forehead. "Go back to sleep."

"If you get worse, wake me." He's too tired to argue much.

"I will." I press my lips to his cheek as he settles back in bed.

"You're going to see a doctor tomorrow." He mumbles. "We don't have time for you to be sick."

-oOo-

"What symptoms are you having?" The lead doctor, Dr. Samantha Mared, asks.

"I woke up around three am to a migraine and hot flashes. I've felt nauseous for the past few days."

"Have you come into contact with any sick people?"

"Not that I know of." She gives me a short physical, trying to figure out what's wrong with me.

"When was your last period?"

"It has been about a month."

"Do you keep track of them? Of the dates?"

"Yes, I do." I had to for the elixirs. Besides, ruining my clothes when I could prevent it is not a good idea.

"Do you know when your next one is supposed to start?"

"Not off the top of my head." I take the Sheikah Slate off my hip and pull up the calendar. "Three days from now."

"Are these your usual symptoms?"

"No, normally I just have pain and bloating."

"Come back to me if it hasn't started in two weeks." The Zora jots something down on her notepad.

"Do you think that I might be…?"

"You aren't showing signs of an illness. Your body seems to be perfectly healthy. I believe that it is possible."

"Can you give me anything for the headache?"

"I'll get you some painkillers that should be safe if you are. I'll be right back." She leaves me alone and I stare at my hands.

I may be pregnant.

It's been four months since I stopped taking the elixirs. Link and I have not actively tried to have a baby, but we haven't done anything to really avoid it. What if I am pregnant? How am I going to tell everyone? How am I going to tell him? What's going to happen? How is just the pregnancy going to affect my life? There's going to be a lot of things I can't do anymore just due to safety.

"I'm back. You should take two in the morning and two at night." She hands me a bottle with small capsules inside. "If anything gets worse, come back. If you start, send me a message or something. I'll keep this quiet until we know."

"Thank you."

"Are you going to tell your husband?"

"No, I don't want to get him excited and it turn out to be nothing."

"Understandable."

"I must be going, I have a meeting with the leaders of Lureline village today."

"Have a good day, your highness. I hope you feel better."

-oOo-

"What did the doctor say?" We haven't seen each other at all today. He's had meetings with various military leaders.

"She believes that it may just be symptoms of my period." I slip off my shoes and sit on the chair in front of my vanity.

"Okay, good. I was worried that you were sick."

"I'm fine. I've been dealing with this for the past seven years; sometimes different symptoms just appear due to hormone imbalances caused by stress and stuff like that. I haven't started yet, but the symptoms tend to show up a few days before." I run my brush through my hair.

"Do you feel well enough to go down for dinner or should we call for it to be brought up here?" he walks up behind me and places his hands on my shoulders.

"She gave me some pain medication, so I feel fine." He runs his hands up to my neck and gently rubs. "Though I am beginning to suspect that you would rather have the food brought up here regardless."

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"You're insatiable."

"I'm in love with and married to the most beautiful woman in the world." He leans over and presses his lips to my neck. "There would be something wrong with me if I wasn't." He slowly and methodically massages my neck with his hands.

"Flirt."

"Only with you." His hands move to the row of buttons leading down my back.

-oOo-

"You're back."

"I haven't started."

"The best way of knowing if you are pregnant is just waiting and seeing. It's possible that your period is just late. Even once you've matured and your period is regular, things can change the cycle."

"Is there any way to tell for sure?"

"There's plenty of Old Wives' Tales, but they're not necessarily accurate."

"Do you think Lady Mipha would be able to tell?" She can tell when people are sick, maybe she can sense it.

"I'm uncertain. Lady Mipha's ability to heal is unlike anything any of us have seen before, though it has weakened some over the past few years." She bites down on her lip. "I guess it's worth a shot."

"She'll be here for the council meeting tomorrow. I can ask her after that. I'll have to come up with some excuse." Link still doesn't know. "I would like a definitive answer."

"I hope you get it."

-oOo-

"Mipha, may I ask you something?"

"Yes, Zelda. What is it?"

"It's private. I have an injury I would like for you to check on. Would you mind coming to my suite with me to heal it?"

"What happened?" Link asks, extremely serious.

"Some of the boning in my corset wore through the fabric. It cut my hip. It isn't a big deal, it's just bothersome. You need to go, you have that meeting with Ryell and Aron." Please don't insist that you come with us.

"Are you sure?"

"I'll be fine." I roll my eyes. "No one hurt me, it's already scabbed over. It's just itchy and annoying." I kiss his cheek. "Go, you're going to be late." He begrudgingly leaves us, and I lead Mipha to my suite.

"You don't have a cut on your hip." She states.

"No, I don't, but I couldn't tell him what is actually going on."

"What happened?"

"Nothing bad, I just…let's get inside first." She's quiet after that. Once we get into the suite, I shut the door. "Thank you for doing this."

"What's wrong?"

"I wanted to know if you could sense pregnancy. I know you can sense injuries and illnesses, so I thought that it may extend to that."

"Do you believe that you could be?"

"I'm late, and I've had migraines and nausea and hot flashes and bloating."

"Then let's see. May I? This will take a little while, I don't often do this." She reaches out her hand towards my stomach. I nod. She places a hand on my tummy, just over my uterus, and closes her eyes. We stand there for a few minutes, with her concentrating. "Yes."

"Yes?" A smile breaks across my face.

"Yes, I sense a baby." She smiles back. "I can't tell the gender."

"I don't care about that." I assure her. "Thank you." I hug her tightly and laugh. "I'm having a baby!"

"Yes, you are. I assume that Link has no idea what's going on."

"I didn't want him to get excited if it turned out to be nothing." I let her go.

"Well, you're going to need to tell him soon. You'll start showing eventually."

"I need to figure out how I'm going to do that."

-oOo-

"What are those?" Link walks into our suite. I have many fabric swatches laid across the floor.

"Fabric. I'm trying to decide what combination I like best." I pick up a set of three in dark green colors and another set in blue. "Which one do you prefer of these two?"

"What are they for?" He takes a seat next to me.

"The nursery."

"The nurs…" His eyes go wide and he blinks several times. "The nursery?"

"Yes, that is what I said."

"We're having a baby?" For the first time in a long time, his voice is small.

"Yes. Yes, I'm pregnant." He practically tackles me and presses his lips to mine.

"Sorry, are you okay?"

"I'm perfect." I assure him. I'm lying on the ground with him on top of me.

"We're having a baby."

"We're having a baby." I cup his face in my hands. He presses his hand to my belly.

"How long?"

"We believe around a month. Ovulation occurs about two weeks after the period, and my period was supposed to be a week ago."

"How did you find out?"

"I didn't have my period and the symptoms showed up. Mipha was able to sense it."

"You weren't hurt."

"I didn't want to get you excited and it turn out to be a false alarm." He kisses me again. "Are you happy?"

"I can only name a few times I've been this happy." He shifts down my body and presses his cheek to my belly.

"You aren't going to be able to hear or feel anything. The baby's just a clump of cells at this point. Anything you can hear is just going to be me."

"Shh." He presses his lips to my clothed abdomen. "Hello." I run my fingers through his hair. "Despite what your mother says, I'm still going to talk to you. I'm your dad. I'm going to keep you and your mother safe. I promise. You may not have ears, but I still want you to know that I love you." He pulls my blouse up and kisses my stomach again. He rests his cheek on my skin and we lie like that for a long time. "I like the green."


	7. Star Fragments

**AN:**

 **Hiya! Not Nintendo.**

 **Neo Aguni: Maybe I will.**

 **When: Night of Wedding**

 **Who: Urbosa**

We're all rather quiet, despite the loud party we just left. The bride and groom lead us to their new suite, arm-in-arm. The king walks behind them, next the Cavaleiro's, then us champions and our partners, and a few others follow us. Everyone is tense, the princess and her husband especially.

Please don't fuck this up! Either of you! Zelda, don't let your nerves get the best of you. You're a strong, intelligent woman, you can do this! Link, you'll probably be fine. Don't panic.

The couple stops in front of the double doors, which the guards open. They pause as Link picks up his bride and carries her across the threshold. It's a common practice, not often exercised by nobility, but it's sweet. It's about protecting the bride from evil spirits or something like that, it doesn't really mean anything.

We all clap as he places her back on the ground. We're all fanned around the king. The guards have stepped to the side to make room for us. We all stand and stare at each other for a few moments. I'm pretty sure this is the only time I've ever seen Link affected by everyone else's awkwardness. He just kind of closes the doors, probably not knowing what else to do. To be fair, neither do I.

I bring my hands to my mouth and wolf-whistle at the door, breaking the silence. Daruk laughs and soon some of the others join in. "I don't get it." Oh, Alisse.

"You will." I assure her. "You will when you're grown up."

"I believe it would be wise, if you two guarded the entrances to the hall, rather than the door." The king tells the guards.

"Yes, your majesty." They reply.

"Well, let's go back to the reception or to bed. Let's just leave them alone." The king looks rather distraught. I guess I would be, too. I don't know what I'll do when Siriah grows up and gets married. We all walk away from where the newlyweds are. I hope everything goes well.

-oOo-

"It's eleven-thirty." Purah states.

"The stars will start soon." Revali looks towards the window.

"Come on, let's go outside and watch." I take my husband's hand and start dragging him out, the rest of our friends follow. The younger members of our families have already left the party, Lord Allard and Lady Sara offered to look after them until we turn in for the night.

"We're rather early." Sauron states.

"I want to make sure we have time to get somewhere good. I've never seen them from anywhere other than the desert." We end up on one of the walls. We can see all of Castle Town from here. It's beautiful, the lanterns all lit, the bright colors of clothing.

"Five 'till." Everyone cheers. Most of the guests have filtered outside by now to watch, though they aren't allowed up on the walls.

A few minutes later, the first star falls. Everyone ooh's and ah's. It truly is beautiful. But, there's something else I want to see. I turn to look at the balcony I know is connected the royal couple's suite. Two figures stand there, the larger one behind the smaller one. They're too far to see any details, but their silhouettes are visible. They've moved so close that they're basically indistinguishable now.

They came out here. Link begins to drag her back inside. Well, he certainly enjoyed himself. He picks her up and walks back inside. They didn't stay long. The stars continue to fall until around 12:30, and everyone turns to the balcony of the royal couple. You could hear a pin drop as we all waited.

A singular star fragment falls onto their balcony.


	8. The Drunken Princess

**AN:**

 **Not Nintendo.**

 **Taium the Fire Paladin: Well thanks for that mental image.**

 **Arcmelos: Same though. I've gotten so bored waiting for people to update.**

 **Zelink . Trash: Thank you!**

 **When: Zelda's twentieth birthday**

 **Who: Link**

The princess is officially drunk. She's giggling and doing almost everything she wouldn't do if she were sober. "You probably should take her home."

"Yeah, the king's going to hate us." I note.

"He can hate me." Urbosa waves her hand. "Go, she needs to go to sleep."

I eventually get the princess back to the castle. A couple of guards take my horse, and the princess leans heavily on me. She's not doing well. She isn't going to be sick or anything, but she isn't going to be happy tomorrow. At some point, I pick her up. Okay, we're going to have to not get caught. If I were to be seen carrying the drunken princess around, assumptions might be made. "I don't know if I should be grateful that we've been able to avoid them, or if I need to up security."

"Why not both?" She slurs.

"You're going to hate yourself and everyone else tomorrow."

"Probably, but right now I just kind of…" Sleep? Vomit? Ignore everything and everyone?

"Kind of what?" I adjust my grip.

"Kind of want to kiss you." What? What? Really? My head fogs a little at the idea. Kissing the princess, kissing her and it actually meaning something.

"You're drunk." I shake my head, trying to clear it.

"I've wanted to kiss you for a long time, like four years." Really? You've wanted to? Wait.

"How about you think this over when you're sober, and we can discuss this later?"

"Are you going to stop avoiding me?" Princess, please. You know the rules better than I do. You pointed this out to me before I even became a marquess. I want to spend time with you, have these three years, but I can't do that without destroying your reputation. The scandal of the princess being with any man for any amount of time alone would send the country into a whirlwind as far as I can tell.

"I don't avoid you." I lie. I avoid her. I know that if I don't I'm going to do something stupid.

"When was the last time you spoke to me other than today or a greeting in passing?"

"It isn't appropriate for us to have a personal relationship anymore." I try to keep steady.

"It could be."

"Last time someone suggested anything like that to you, you wanted to kill them." And I whole-heartedly agreed.

"Have you thought that I reacted that way because I wanted someone else? Wanted you?" No, you haven't shown any interest in anyone as far as I can tell, myself included. You have always either treated me as a nuisance or as a friend. Some people were convinced that you planned never to wed.

"You really are going to hate yourself tomorrow." She kisses my cheek. "Princess."

"Lord." Her arms are wrapped around my neck and one of her hands twists some of my hair. Under any other circumstances, I would enjoy that.

"Are you fine from here?" We've finally made it to her room. Thank Hylia.

"I think so." I place her down and hold to her waist until I'm sure that she won't fall over.

I smile at her. I've had fun today. "I hope that you've enjoyed your birthday."

"I have, thank you." She rocks back on her heels slightly and twists her hands in front of her.

"Well, goodnight." I try to duck away, but she grabs me. Suddenly, she's kissing me. She's grabbed my face and pressed her lips to mine. She pulls back and runs into her room.

"Goodnight." She leaves me standing there like an idiot. I gape at her door for way too long. She's kissed me before, at the tournaments one of my prizes was a kiss from her, but those were always restrained, careful. I was one in a line of people. But this…she basically mashed her lips to mine and…and…

And she's drunk.

She wouldn't have done that if she had been sober. She's not in her right mind right now. I can't. I can't let myself enjoy that. Enjoying her kiss when she's inebriated. It's wrong. It's like I'm taking advantage.

I stumble away from her room, not being as careful to not be caught.

-oOo-

"Hannah?" I stop the young maid.

"Yes, Lord Link?" The princess's handmaiden turns to me.

"Give these to the princess, please." I hold out the elixirs. "She's going to need them."

"She's still asleep. Her father cleared her schedule so she can recover."

"Okay, just give her those. They'll help."

"Yes, sir."

-oOo-

"Your highness." I bend at the waist, bowing to her highness. The guards all kneel.

"Rise! I did not mean to interrupt. I was just taking a walk and thought that I may watch for a while." I straighten and look up at her. She's in a dress today. She's wearing dresses more and more often since…the Calamity. She's becoming the perfect princess she's meant to be.

I, on the other hand, am exceptionally indecent for the princess to be here, as are half of the men.

I'm very distracted the rest of the training session. I actually cut it short. The princess and I have some business to attend to.

"Come in." I call, pulling a shirt over my head and move towards my desk.

"Good day."

"Good day, princess." I nod. "And how are you feeling? You shouldn't have been in the sun that long."

"Better thanks to those elixirs you brought me. Thank you." She twiddles her thumbs.

"I knew that your hangover was going to be awful, and I have noticed that heart and stamina elixirs really help."

"You drink that much?"

"No, but it's very common for the guards to. I generally have several bottles of each on standby." They drink a lot. Like there is at least two hangovers every day.

"Makes sense." She shrugs. We stare at each other for some amount of time before I realize that she's still standing. "Though I do believe that in training you have an unfair advantage, and there is no way any of your men would be able to land a blow on you."

"I don't expect them to beat me. But, I know that I won't get hurt when four of them charge me. I don't have that guarantee with anyone else." I jump up. "Sorry, my manners are still atrocious as Lady Impa has reminded me daily. Sit, do you want some tea?" He nods towards the seat opposite his.

"Yes please." She sits in one of the seats opposite my desk.

"Do you still just take honey?" She drank a lot of tea when I was her knight. Late nights fueled by the caffeine, early mornings.

"Yes." We stay silent as I make the tea. "Lord Link."

"Why do you call me that?" I was your friend.

"Because it isn't appropriate for us to have a personal relationship anymore." Fuck.

"You remember."

"Were you hoping that I wouldn't?"

"A little bit, because now we actually have to discuss this." I place the tea set between us and sit down. Each time we stay silent, the awkwardness grows. But, we both know that it will get more awkward faster if we speak.

"I came to apologize for last night. I acted inappropriately and made you uncomfortable." I wasn't uncomfortable. Well, I was, but it wasn't the sort of uncomfortable you're thinking about.

"Did you mean it?" I whisper, unsure of whether or not I want to hear her answer. "Did you mean everything you said?"

"And if I did? Then what?" She scoots around a little, sitting straighter.

"Then I would have to inform you that the feeling is mutual." My chest feels like someone's gripping hard onto it, squishing my lungs and heart. I've admitted my feelings for her to maybe four people, all of whom I trusted to never tell her.

"Then why were you hoping that I would forget!" Her laugh is melodic. It's the best thing I've heard in a long time.

"I was worried that it was just the alcohol talking, that you didn't actually mean any of it. I didn't want to get my hopes up." I admit. I feel like the weight has lifted from my chest. "So, where do we go from here?"

"That depends. If you wish to, you may begin courting me, though you must get approval from the council and especially my father to do so." Oh no. The council. Narkell. HER FATHER, THE KING.

"Do I meet all of your standards for a great Hylian warrior?"

"You are my standards for a great Hylian warrior." I figured. Who else would be? Little egotistical, but I feel as though I have some right to be.

"I will never forget his face when you began to insult his son. I'll also never forget the fact that he decided the best way to get what he wanted was to insult you to your face." Why am I talking about this? The woman I've had feelings for for years has admitted to returning my feelings, and I'm talking about fucking Duke Narkell?!

"Getting his approval will be hard, but thankfully majority rules. That is, if courting me is what you want to do." Good, we don't have to convince that awful man.

I rise, determined. She stands up to meet me. "Princess Zelda Minerva Hyrule, will you allow me to court you?" Her green eyes sparkle, and my heart feels like it's going to beat out of my chest.

"Lord Link Allard Cavaleiro, nothing would make me happier." I grin like a fool. I instinctually move to kiss her, but stop. She was drunk. She was drunk last night, she may not be alright with that sober.

But, she doesn't seem to mind. She touches my face and presses her mouth to mine. As happy as I am standing here with her, the door creaks. The door creaks, and I remember that she had to leave it open. I remember that there's a lot of rules when it comes to her. Rules which have held me back for three years. "We probably should go speak to your father."

"Probably." She steps back, but I don't let her. I've waited too long to be able to kiss her to just let her go after one kiss. I pull her flush to me and kiss her. A lot of conflicting things going on in my head right now.

And then someone had to ruin it. "Lord Link I had a few questions about-"

Rules. I make sure that we're an armlength apart, and Simon enters.

"Oh, Princess Zelda." The boy almost hurts himself when he notices the princess.

"Rise, please."

"What's wrong?" I ask, probably sounding more annoyed than I should.

"I just had a question about your order request form. I can't tell the difference between your ones and your sevens."

"Your handwriting still needs to improve." Some things will never change.

"Sorry for only learning about three years ago, when I was already an adult." I help Simon, reading off each of the numbers. "Anything else?"

"No, sir, that is all." He bows to Zelda and basically runs away.

"To my father?"

"To your father." I can't believe that this is actually happening. I'm going to court the princess! That is, if we get everyone's approval.

Everyone.

The council.

The champions are council members.

Mipha.


	9. Long Live the Queen

**AN:**

 **Hey! Not the Nintendo. I need y'all to make suggestions about what one-shots/two-shots you guys want to see here. I'm kind of running low on ideas.**

 **When: Several years after the end of** ** _What a Fairy Tale!_**

 **Who: Zelda**

The time of mourning is over. It's been over a year since my father passed away.

And today I become Queen.

Today is my coronation. I wear a golden dress with a deep red, velvet cape trimmed with fur. A golden circlet sits atop my head, which will soon be joined by the ceremonial crown. My maids of honor, including my sister-in-law, are readying to carry the edges of my cape as I walk towards my throne. I take several deep breaths, attempting to calm my nerves.

"You'll be alright." Link places his hand on my cheek. "You've been ruling for the past year, this is just a formality."

"I know."

"You're going to be a wonderful Queen." He kisses my forehead.

"Thank you. It's just…my nerves often get the best of me. The last time I was this nervous was our wedding."

"Not the births of either of our children?"

"That was mostly pain and anger at you." I don't know why. We both agreed to have children, but a lot of anger was directed at him.

"Yeah, I know." I yelled a lot. The bells marking the hour chime. "It's almost time." He kisses me before turning to the large oak doors we will soon enter through.

The music begins, and the doors open. My husband walks through the doors, following my cousin who carries my crown, and they shut behind him. The organ music changes and it's my turn. The doors open and I slowly make my way down the aisle. I smile to the people-my people. The room is covered in flowers and gold banners. The throne of the King Mariad sits proudly at the front of the room. I will sit in that throne for a total of maybe sixteen minutes. I'll sit in a reproduction for the portrait.

I sit in a smaller chair on a platform in front of the throne. Several prayers are said and songs are sung. I keep looking over at my husband, who stands to my left along with our children and the leaders of each race. Our son has a small chair for him to sit in next to his father, while Link holds our infant daughter. A lot of things happen before I actually have to say anything. "Zelda Minerva Andromeda Cavaleiro Hyrule, do you swear to lead the country of Hyrule with the wisdom of Nayru, courage of Farore, and power of Din, so help you Hylia?"

"I do." I've risen by this point and address the people.

"Do you swear to do all in your power to protect and promote the country of Hyrule?"

"I swear to do all you have said." I make several more promises to Hyrule, which are basically all restating the same thing. The archbishop goes on to bless me several times in the ancient language. He takes my hand at one point and leads me to the throne, which sits high above the rest of the room. Someone relieves me of the large, heavy cape, and I am ceremoniously given an orb and scepter before my cousin presents the crown to the archbishop.

The old man slowly takes the crown and places it on my head. As soon as the crown touches my hair, everyone present shouts. "Long live the Queen!" It takes a lot of effort for me to hold my head straight. This is a very heavy crown. It's also too big. We had to put a sort of lining in the ancient crown so that it will not fall over my eyes.

"Long live Queen Zelda Minerva Andromeda Cavaleiro Hyrule." The Archbishop shouts. Everyone present bows, and my husband hands our daughter to Urbosa before walking over to me. He kneels at the base of the platform I sit on.

"I, Link Allard Cavaleiro Hyrule, husband of the Queen, pledge my allegiance to Queen Zelda."

"As husband of the Queen, you are given the title of Prince Consort. As Prince Consort, do you swear to rule justly alongside the Queen? Do you swear to support and protect the Queen?"

"I do. I swear to support my Queen in all that she does. I swear to remain faithful only to her as I have the past eight years. I will do everything within my power to protect her, our children, and the country of Hyrule." A coronet is placed on his head.

"I pronounce you to be Link Allard Cavaleiro Hyrule, Prince Consort of Hyrule." I stretch out my right hand to him, after handing my scepter to the archbishop. Link kisses my hand before rising.

"Long live the Queen." My husband declares. His statement echoes around the room. The leader of each race takes turns pledging their allegiance to me. The wish of my long life is stated many, many, many times. All of the shouting causes my daughter to cry out. Link is able to appease her, but I'm sure there are going to be people who complain.

"Queen Zelda Minerva Andromeda Cavaleiro Hyrule, may you live long and prosper, and may Hyrule flourish under your reign." I then make my trek back down the aisle, followed by my family. The crown does not wobble, and my steps remain confident. Everyone bows, and really it doesn't matter how I make my way out of the building. No one would see. Once we've exited the room the doors shut.

"Yes, Colm, you can go to her now." I turn to see my husband leaned over to talk to our son.

"Momma!" The six-year-old cries.

"You were so good, Colm." I kneel down to hug him. "You behaved so well. I know that was very boring. Trust me, it was for me, too."

"What're we doing now?"

"We have to go greet the people."

"Do we get to stay with you this time?" My children were with the Champions in the time leading up to the coronation.

"Yes, you do. Everyone wants to see us. You know, you are a prince now!"

"I thought that's what daddy is."

"He's Prince Consort. It means that he's married to the Queen. Being the prince means that you're the son of the Queen."

"Your majesty, we need to go." Hannah informs me.

"Of course." I stand and lead my family out of the building.

-oOo-

"Are you ready for bed, Colm?" I ask. It's nearly ten o'clock. My son sleepily nods against my side. "Is she asleep?"

"She's trying, but the fireworks keep waking her." About an hour ago, we all retired for the evening. Link and I put on comfortable clothes, Colm put on his pajamas, and little Zelda was put in a softer gown. We sat on the balcony and watched the fireworks together before going inside and sitting by the fire.

"Here, let me take her. You carry Colm." I take the little Zelda in my arms and coo at my baby. We walk from the main room of our suite to Colm's room. When he gets older he'll probably move to a larger room, farther away from us, but for now he's just across the hall. The room which was supposed to be Link's has been transformed into a nursery. We both preferred to be close to our babies.

"It's been a very long day for these two."

"And us."

"And us, but we're more used to long days. I don't think either of them have dealt with a day this long before." He motions to our children.

"She's barely six months old." I remind him. Link places Colm on his bed and tucks him in. "Goodnight, my little prince. I love you."

"G'night." Colm mumbles from beneath the blankets. I carefully lean over and press a kiss to his forehead.

"Sleep well. We love you." Link blows out the candle by his bed, and we leave our boy to sleep. "How's she doing?"

"I believe that she's asleep for now." Her eyes are shut, at least.

"Think we can put her to bed?"

"I hope so, I'm exhausted." Thankfully, it seems today has completely warn our daughter out. She doesn't even rouse as we place her in her cradle.

"We make really pretty babies." He mentions, with his arms wrapped around me from behind. I can't really do anything but laugh at that. "What? We do!"

"You just say the most random things sometimes."

"It's part of my charm."

"No, it isn't."

"Married for eight years, and you only tell me this now?"

"I'm too tired to humor you, dear."

"Dang." I leave him in the nursery, with the intent of changing into my nightdress and going to bed.

"Close the curtains please! We don't want the bright lights to wake her." I call as I strip myself of my gown and pick up my nightdress.

"Your majesty." I quickly pull my nightdress on before turning to my husband. "You could've kept that off."

"You really are awful." I inform him and run my brush through my hair.

"That you have told me quite often."

"It's still true, even after eight years. You were so respectful and waited for me to breech any boundaries before we were married. But, as soon as we finished our first time together you became insatiable." I pass by him and go to bed.

"I got hooked." He smirks at me and begins changing.

"You've been saying that for eight years, too."

"Doesn't make it less true." He pulls his shirt off.

"You need to come up with better excuses. These are getting old."

"Is the fact that I love you enough of an excuse?" He turns a little, so his back is still to me, but he can see me.

"Always." He turns and grins roguishly at me. "Except tonight, your Queen is tired." His face immediately drops to an overly-dramatic frown. "Oh, get over here. Still no, but I'll cuddle with you. That is, if you stop pouting."

"No."

"And I thought that I only had two children." I roll my eyes as he joins me. "I love you."

"I love you, too, your majesty."

 **AN:**

 **It is not unheard of for ruler's names to change when they take the crown. Queen Elizabeth II was asked what name she was going to rule as, and she decided to stay with Elizabeth. So, I decided to give Zelda another middle name and add Cavaleiro to both of their names. She's Queen now, no one can tell her that she can't take her husband's name at all.**

 **You may have noticed in my stories that I like to give meaning behind the names I chose. Minerva of course means wisdom. Allard means brave. Cavaleiro is knight in Portuguese. Andromeda means leader. Colm means peace.**

 **I care about name meaning a lot more than my parents did. My parents just chose names that sounded nice with the family middle names. My first name means place of leaves. Special leaves, but still leaves.**


	10. Our Legacy

**Not a chapter, but I'm here to tell y'all that I have just posted a new story. It's about Link and Zelda's first pregnancy. It's called** ** _Our Legacy_** **. I will still write one-shots from time to time if you guys request them, but Legacy is going to be my main story for now. I also move into college tomorrow, so I may not be as regular with chapters. See y'all later!**

 **BlizzardNova: Well, guess what I'm doing.**


	11. THINGS

**AN:**

 **Long time no see, huh? I'm trying y'all, I promise.**

 **I am still not Nintendo. Sadly.**

 **When: A month and a half after the wedding**

 **Who: Zelda**

 **Rating: M (things are discussed)**

 **A guest requested this. Have fun, y'all.**

The first time she asked was when Link and I went to visit the Gerudo after our wedding.

The second time was when she came to visit about a week later for a ball meant to celebrate my father's birthday. Though it ended up being mostly about showing Link and I off. Apparently, there had not been enough of that at our wedding.

The third time was in a letter.

And I know that the fourth is going to come any second now.

"Marriage is treating you well. You have not looked so relaxed since you were a child." Urbosa smirks. "Though your new stress-relief outlet probably has more to do with that than anything else."

"Urbosa!"

"Am I wrong?" I huff in reply. "No, apparently I'm not."

"I hate you."

"I'm happy for you." She laughs. "I'm happy that you're happy."

"I am happy. He makes me happy."

"In every way?"

"I am going to stop talking to you if you keep this up." I threaten.

"No, you won't."

"Probably not."

"Just tell me."

"And what precisely are you going to do with this information? What do you gain by learning about my wedding night?" I huff.

"Blackmail. Also, I just witnessed something that I would like some answers to."

"What did you witness?!" Oh Hylia, what did she see? What could she have seen? We were inside except for when the stars began falling and when we retrieved our star fragment.

"A husband dragging his wife back inside for another round." AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

"That did not happen." Well, not immediately at least. We spent a long time just talking and holding each other before either of us actually wanted to…

"I'm pretty sure that's what I saw. You were outside for about two minutes, and then he picked you up and took you back inside. If another round did not occur, what did?"

"We talked for a while, enjoying our time alone."

"Just talked?"

"Mostly."

"So there was another-"

"I did not specify how the rest of the time was spent. We do have to sleep at some point." I did not mean to give in like this. I did not mean to give in at all, yet here we are.

"What about before the stars? What happened then?"

"Things."

"Dirty things?"

"THINGS!" I feel my eyes go wider involuntarily.

"Did you enjoy said _things_?"

"Yes, I did." I give up! She's going to pester me about this until she dies. She smirks at me, well aware of my decision.

"What happened after that door closed?"

"If I tell you, you have to tell me how father reacted."

"He didn't for a moment, just kept staring at the door. It was honestly rather funny. He looked so scandalized when I whistled. He told the guards to move towards the ends of the hallway instead of right at the doors. Poor Alisse had no clue what was going on."

"She's twelve years old!"

"And one month."

"I would have some concerns if she already knew about all of that."

"Anyways, we left not too long after."

"We heard you leave."

"Did you two just stand there?"

"Yes. Did you expect us to just jump on each other the minute we were alone? Our parents were just on the other side of the door!"

"I know you two. I've chaperoned many an outing just so that the two of you could advance your physical relationship."

"That's different and you know it."

"How? How is it different?"

"It was different because sex is different than kissing."

"You finally said it!" She exclaims. "I am so proud of you."

"Goodbye." I stand up and walk towards the door, but she grabs me and pulls me back.

"Oh no, you don't. you have to uphold your end of the deal."

"Fine. We changed and ate and drank champagne after that. After we finished the bottle he…um…he…" Her stare and the subject matter make me squirm. "He kissed me. We sat by the fire for a while, just kissing." I don't like the look on her face. "A little while later he carried me to our room and _it_ happened." Please be satisfied.

" _It_ , huh?"

"Yes, _it_."

"You said the word a minute ago."

"Yes, I did."

"You're not gonna say it again?"

"No, and if you force me to, I'm never speaking to you again."

"Was _it_ good?"

"Yes."

"You were satisfied with what your husband did?"

"Yes."

"Okay." Wait.

"What?"

"As long as you were satisfied, I have nothing to say."

"Wait, so all of this was to make sure that my husband is satisfying me in bed?"

"Yes."

"Why? Why did you drag it out like that?"

"To be fair, I did ask if he made you happy in every way before all of this today, you were the one who didn't answer then and just made it harder on yourself. And as for why, I wanted to make sure that I didn't need to kill him."

"I hate you."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do. It was completely unnecessary for you to drag it out like that."

"It was fun."


End file.
